Homeland
Security
Current Nationwide
Threat Level
ELEVATED
Daily Open Source Infrastructure
Report for 5 April 2010
Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks
For information, click here:
http://www.dhs.gov
Top Stories

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that just past midnight on April 1, the state’s grid
operators asked San Diego Gas & Electric to cut power to 250,000 homes and businesses
rather than risk an uncontrolled blackout that could spread up the Pacific coast. The reason
is not exactly clear, but in general terms it came down to the fact that power plants in the
region were not making enough electricity, and managers did not want to rely too much on
power coming in from elsewhere. (See item 4)

WKYC 3 Cleveland reported that the FBI announced the arrest of eight men on April 2,
charging them with using other people’s credit card information to buy as much as a
million dollars in merchandise from Northeast Ohio stores. (See item 16)
Fast Jump Menu
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES
• Energy
• Chemical
• Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste
• Critical Manufacturing
• Defense Industrial Base
• Dams
SUSTENANCE and HEALTH
• Agriculture and Food
• Water
• Public Health and Healthcare
SERVICE INDUSTRIES
• Banking and Finance
• Transportation
• Postal and Shipping
• Information Technology
• Communications
• Commercial Facilities
FEDERAL and STATE
• Government Facilities
• Emergency Services
• National Monuments and Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES-ISAC) [http://www.esisac.com]
1. April 2, Media General News Service – (Virginia) Coal train derails in Nelson
County. Crews worked throughout the day April 1 after a train carrying coal derailed at
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about midnight near Norwood, in Nelson County, authorities said. Twenty-six cars
carrying coal overturned along Norwood Road south of Variety Mills Road, Robert
Sullivan, a spokesperson for CSX, said. The train, with two locomotives driving 99
cars, belonged to the CSX Corporation. The cause of the derailment is under
investigation; crews worked all day to restore service and clean up the site. The train
was traveling from Clifton Forge toward Newport News. The Nelson County
Emergency Services Coordinator said no one was injured in the derailment and no
homes were damaged. He said some of the coal did spill into a tributary that leads into
the James River, but crews quickly blocked it with dirt to prevent further contamination
and cleanup crews from CSX were en route by 9 a.m.
Source:
http://www2.newsvirginian.com/wnv/news/local/article/coal_train_derails_in_nelson_c
ounty/54345/
2. April 2, Associated Press – (Washington) Blast, fire at Wash. refinery kills 4,
wounds 3. Tesoro Corp. says one person died in a fire at its refinery in Anacortes. The
company says in a news release from San Antonio that three employees are missing
and four others were injured in the fire that occurred about 12:30 a.m. April 2. The fire
in the naphtha unit was extinguished in about an hour-and-a-half. Area residents, some
five miles from the complex, called Washington broadcast stations after midnight with
reports of an explosion, saying flames were being blown by high winds. The blaze
started in a catalytic unit for naphtha of the refinery, a Tesoro human resources
manager told The Associated Press. He did not know how long it had burned or how it
started.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100402/ap_on_bi_ge/us_refinery_fire
3. April 2, Casper Star-Tribune – (Wyoming) Power outage leads to toxic spill at
Newcastle refinery. Newcastle residents witnessed dramatic flares March 30 at
Wyoming Refining Co.’s oil refinery located on the northwest edge of town by the high
school. On March 30, there were two separate power outages and two subsequent
flaring events at the refinery, according to the Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ). The first occurred from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and the second occurred from 7
to 11:45 p.m. “We’re used to flares because every time there’s a power outage there’s a
flare. It’s not usually horrible,” a resident said. “This time, however, it was really
dramatic. Bigger than most of us have seen before.” DEQ officials said the refinery
reported no injuries related to the incidents, and there was no evacuation of the
refinery. Some residents also reported a ground fire at the refinery on Tuesday. But
DEQ officials said it was not yet clear whether there was a fire. Wyoming Refining Co.
officials did not immediately return calls to the Star-Tribune on April 1. DEQ will
perform its own follow-up investigation of the toxic releases at the Newcastle refinery
this week.
Source: http://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e9de990c-3e63-11dfad6a-001cc4c03286.html
4. April 1, San Diego Union-Tribune – (California) SDG and E, state’s grid operators
differ over power outage semantics. Just past midnight on April 1, the state’s grid
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operators asked San Diego Gas & Electric to cut power to 250,000 homes and
businesses rather than risk an uncontrolled blackout that could spread up the Pacific
coast. The reason is not exactly clear, but in general terms it came down to the fact that
power plants in the region were not making enough electricity, and managers did not
want to rely too much on power coming in from elsewhere, said a spokesman for the
California Independent System Operator. While the ratio of imported to local
generation depends on a variety of factors, including weather and electricity demand,
he said that the ISO wants at least 25 percent of the region’s power to be generated
locally. Two of the biggest power stations in town, the Palomar Energy Center in
Escondido and the South Bay plant in Chula Vista, were down on purpose yesterday,
according to ISO’s Web site. And another major source, the San Onofre Nuclear
Generating Station, is operating at a quarter of capacity. SDG and E said it reacted
quickly when the ISO asked it to cut 310 megawatts of power. Power was cut
throughout SDG and E’s service area. Although a SDG and E spokeswoman initially
said this was a transmission emergency, the ISO spokesman said it was not, and she
explained the difference as “semantic.” The power was shut down electronically at 17
substations about 12:30 a.m. and was restored about 30 to 40 minutes later, she said.
Additional power plants in the region came on line to deal with the emergency, she
said. “One big question,” the executive director of UCAN, the Utility Consumers’
Action Network said. “How could they not have enough local generation?”
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/01/power-outtage-hits250000-around-county/
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Chemical Industry Sector
5. April 2, WTAE 4 Pittsburgh – (Pennsylvania) Hazmat called to overturned sodium
hydroxide tanker. A hazardous materials team was called to the scene of an
overturned tanker truck that was carrying sodium hydroxide in Forward Township,
Allegheny County. Bunola River Road has since reopened, but was closed after the
crash in the 200 block the morning of April 1. The driver “pretty much had minor
injuries,” said a member of Allegheny County EMS. “He was trapped in the truck.
Firefighters used the jaws of life to cut him out of the truck, and then transported by
helicopter to the hospital.” The tanker ended up lying on its side on some train tracks.
EMS said the tank suffered a slow leak, losing about 55 gallons of chemical. “Nothing
on the roadway, nothing to the river,” he said. “We’re still monitoring everything to be
sure of that, but every indication is that it was self-contained at the accident site.”
Bunola River Road is a thoroughfare that links Monessen and Elizabeth Borough. The
crash happened on a stretch that is sparsely residential and has less than a dozen heavy
industrial businesses. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Source: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/allegheny/23024604/detail.html
6. April 2, Associated Press – (Kansas) 2 workers dead, 1 injured in accident at
Kansas chemical fertilizer plant. Authorities say an accident at a Lawrence fertilizer
plant has left two workers dead. A third person suffered injuries described as non-life-
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threatening. The accident happened just after 2:30 p.m. April 1 at MagnaGro
International. A Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Chief says one worker fell
into a tank of a substance that is not normally hazardous, but can be toxic if inhaled in
tight quarters. He did not say how the second person died or how the third worker was
injured. Authorities did not immediately identify the substance. Names of the dead and
injured were being withheld while relatives were notified. MagnaGro makes chemical
fertilizers for resale nationwide. Emergency crews and police investigators were still
evaluating the scene the evening of April 1.
Source: http://www.fox4kc.com/news/sns-ap-ks--workerskilled,0,87478.story
7. April 1, WFIE 14 Madisonville – (Indiana) 2 suspected of causing IN ammonia leak
arrested. Police have arrested two men suspected of causing a dangerous ammonia gas
leak that forced hundreds of people from their central Indiana homes. A thirty-fouryear-old of Edinburgh and 37-year-old of Columbus were being held without bond on
April 1in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted theft.
Officers arrested the men late on March 31at a motel in Columbus. Police say the
thirty-four-year-old had apparently suffered an eye injury from the ammonia leak.
Authorities believe the men tried to steal anhydrous ammonia from a tank at a farm
north of Columbus early on March 30, causing a leak that triggered the evacuation of
hundreds of people from their homes. A woman who investigators believe helped the
men by dropping them off near the farm was also being held on April 1.
Source: http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=12245204
For another story, see item 23
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Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste Sector
8. April 2, Brattleboro Reformer – (Vermont) VY staffers absolved of wrongdoing. An
internal investigation into whether any Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant
employees intentionally misled or gave inaccurate or incomplete information to state
regulators concluded that none did so. However, stated the Entergy vice president of
nuclear safety, emergency planning and licensing, the investigation did find that
“certain (Entergy Vermont Yankee) personnel did not clarify certain understandings
and assumptions, which resulted in misunderstanding when viewed in a context
different from the one understood to be relevant to the comprehensive reliability
assessment.” In a January 14 letter from Vermont Department of Public Service
commissioner to Entergy, the public service commissioner asserted that Yankee
representatives didn’t provide accurate information regarding underground piping at
Yankee during a comprehensive reliability assessment. The assessment was conducted
as part of the Vermont Public Service Board’s proceedings to determine whether
Yankee should receive a certificate of public good to continue operation after 2012,
when its current license expires. Entergy retained the law firm of Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius, to conduct an independent investigation to determine if that information was
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accurate and complete.
Source: http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_14805579
9. April 2, Nuclear Power Industry News – (Oklahoma) Oklahoma house panel
greenlights nuclear Power bill. According to a report by newsok.com, an Oklahoma
house panel has passed a measure that would allow municipal power authorities to buy
electricity from nuclear plants and to invest in a joint venture for a nuclear power plant.
The committee voted 21-4 to pass Senate Bill 1668. It now goes to the House of
Representatives. A Republican representative, House author of the bill, said that the bill
removes prohibitions in state law that specifically excluded nuclear energy as an
eligible power source. The exclusion was written at a time when it was feared
radioactive waste from nuclear plants would threaten public health and natural
resources. The representative added that the bill does not represent a legislative intent
to build a nuclear power plant. “We have no current plans” to build a nuclear power
plant the general counsel for the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority said to
members of the House Energy and Utility Regulation Committee. Best estimates are
that it would take 10 to 12 years to construct a nuclear power plant and that it would
costs about $8 billion, state officials estimated last year.
Source:
http://nuclearstreet.com/blogs/nuclear_power_news/archive/2010/04/02/oklahomahouse-panel-greenlights-nuclear-power-bill-04026.aspx
10. April 1, Deseret News – (Utah) Depleted uranium not that scary. An open meeting
on the effects of nuclear waste was held in Utah recently. The event was hosted by
Tooele County. The deputy director of the county’s health department, acted as
moderator. About 30 people showed up at the meeting room in downtown Tooele to
listen to an epidemiologist, a physicist and a chemical engineer talk about the health
risks and other side effects associated with depleted uranium, or DU as it’s more
commonly called. DU, of course, is at the center of the current nuclear waste debate:
Should DU from other parts of the country, and other countries, be allowed into the
EnergySolutions waste facility at Clive in remote Tooele County? How radioactive is
DU? Will it give us cancer? Will it make us sick? Does it constitute a clear and present
danger? What are the ramifications for the future? One by one, the three invited
panelists addressed these and other questions. First to speak was the chemical engineer.
Then came the radiological and health physicist. He was followed by the
epidemiologist. None is affiliated with EnergySolutions or the waste operation at Clive
— or, for that matter, with Tooele County. They talked about where DU comes from,
its relative level of radioactivity and the health hazards it poses. As the meeting wore
on, one common theme became clear: DU definitely does not scare these scientists.
They all talked about the potential dangers of DU; but overall they downplayed its
overall effects on community health.
Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700021384/Depleted-uranium-not-thatscary.html
11. April 1, Vermont Public Health Examiner – (Vermont) More leaks from Vermont
Yankee pose more health threats. After the Vermont legislature voted against a re-
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licensing of its nuclear power plant (as reported earlier), things actually got worse.
More radioactive isotopes, which are cobalt-60, cesium-137, zinc-65 and manganese64 were confirmed in soil and water contamination tests. These leaks have as of today
not been stopped and pose a serious health risk for local residents as well as citizens
living downstream the Connecticut River. According to the online Boston Globe one
official of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) assured the public that these
leaks were “very, very low” and therefore no threat to the public. Vermont’s nuclear
reactor is still running, despite occurring leaks and citizen’s concerns.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-35288-Vermont-Public-HealthExaminer~y2010m4d1-More-Leaks-from-Vermont-Yankee-Pose-More-Health-Threats
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Critical Manufacturing Sector
12. April 2, Portland Press Herald – (Maine) Fire at Sanford concrete plant brought
under control. A fire that broke out at a Sanford concrete plant this afternoon has been
brought under control by firefighters. A fire captain said one Sanford firefighter had to
be treated for heat exhaustion at Goodall Hospital after battling the fire at Genest
Concrete. He said the fire broke out inside a processing plant where sand and gravel is
mixed to make concrete. The cause of the fire, which is not suspicious, remains under
investigation. It took more than 30 Sanford firefighters about three hours to bring the
fire under control.
Source: http://www.pressherald.com/news/Crews-on-scene-of-a-concrete-plant-fire-inSanford.html
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Defense Industrial Base Sector
13. April 2, Naval Open Source Intelligence – (National) Raytheon Joint Standoff
Weapon C-1 conducts first captive-flight test. Raytheon Company’s Joint Standoff
Weapon C-1 achieved a major milestone when it completed its first captive-flight test
on an F/A-18E/F fighter aircraft. JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons
that employs an integrated GPS- inertial navigation system and terminal imaging
infrared seeker that guide the weapon to the target. JSOW C-1 adds moving maritime
target capability and the two-way Rockwell Collins Strike Common Weapon Datalink
to the combat-proven weapon.
Source: http://nosint.blogspot.com/2010/04/raytheon-joint-standoff-weapon-c1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/f
qzx+(Naval+Open+Source+INTelligence)
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Banking and Finance Sector
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14. April 2, WESH 2 Orlando – (Florida) Ocoee Publix employees find skimmer on
ATM. Employees at one Orange County Publix said they found a skimming device on
the store’s ATM. Police were called to the store on South Maguire Road in Ocoee April
1. The device steals data from users who put a card into the machine. Police said it’s
not known how long the skimmer was there. Anyone who has used the machine is
advised to call their bank.
Source: http://www.wesh.com/news/23033295/detail.html
15. April 2, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) Pa. investment manager charged in Ponzi
scheme. A suburban Philadelphia financier is facing charges that he bilked investors
out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme. Federal prosecutors on April 1 charged a
38-year-old suspect with diverting $26 million for his personal use at the investment
advisory business he ran in Kennett Square, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia.
Investigators say the suspect used the money to finance a lavish lifestyle that included
homes in Florida and Maine, a horse farm in Pennsylvania and a personal chef.
Authorities say the suspect generated false financial statements for his clients and paid
out bogus earnings using money coming in from new customers.
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/02/1559871/pa-investment-managercharged.html
16. April 2, WKYC 3 Cleveland – (Ohio) FBI: Million-dollar credit card fraud ring
busted in Cleveland. The FBI announced the arrest of eight men, charged with using
other people’s credit card information to buy as much as a million dollars in
merchandise from Northeast Ohio stores. “These are stores that we all frequently visit
with store credit cards that many of us carry in our wallets,” said the special agent in
charge of the Cleveland division of the FBI. He named Lowe’s, Home Depot, Staples,
Best Buy, hhgregg, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Sears as among the
local stores victimized. In the scheme, the FBI says an inmate at a federal prison in Fort
Dix, New Jersey, used a cell phone to access and alter existing credit card accounts.
They say he fraudulently added new users to other people’s accounts, and that the new
users would make big-ticket purchases at Northeast Ohio stores. The FBI says the
prisoner was persistent in calling customer service departments until he was successful
in gaining access to someone else’s personal or business account. He would then
modify the account and make one of the Cleveland men authorized users. At times he
would use bits and pieces of public information, and use either guesswork or
persistence, to finally gain access to the credit card accounts, according to the FBI.
Source: http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=133530&catid=3
17. April 1, Associated Press – (South Dakota) Scam artists using census to try and get
bank account, Social Security numbers. South Dakotans are being cautioned about a
scam circulating under the guise of a 2010 census form. The state attorney general’s
office says official-looking requests for financial information are not part of the census.
Scam artists have sending letters and e-mails and even showing up at homes seeking
Social Security numbers and information about bank accounts. The attorney general’s
office says the census does not ask for that information, and residents should not give it
out.
-7-
Source: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100401/UPDATES/100401035/1/DATABASE0202
18. April 1, Sheboygan Press – (Wisconsin) National Exchange Bank in Elkhart Lake
robbed; robber locked tellers in vault, made off with between $10,000 and
$100,000. A gun-wielding bank robber made off with more than $10,000 on April 1
after locking the employees of a downtown bank in a vault, said the Elkhart Lake
police chief. In a heist the FBI says is similar to a Cedarburg bank robbery in the
summer 2009, the carefully disguised robber left behind a suspicious package with
flashing lights that was eventually detonated inside the bank by the Milwaukee County
Bomb Squad. The police chief said the man entered National Exchange Bank & Trust
at 8:35 a.m. — five minutes after it opened — and displayed a gun to the three tellers
inside. The suspect refused money that was offered from a teller station. “He eventually
took the three tellers into the vault and got a large sum of money, locked them inside a
gated portion of the vault,” the police chief said. The robber left a suspicious box near
the vault and told tellers they would receive an electrical shock if they left before the
box’s lights turned to a solid color, but the tellers quickly exited using a key one of
them had. They walked out to find their manager had unknowingly arrived in the
middle of the heist.
Source:
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100401/SHE0101/100401030/1062/SHE01/
Update-Elkhart-Lake-bank-robber-left-behind-suspicious-package
19. April 1, WPTV 5 West Palm Beach – (Florida) 2nd suspicious package at bank. The
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office returned to a Chase bank at 328 Northlake
Boulevard after a second suspicious package was found in the afternoon of April 1. In
the morning of April 1, the bank was evacuated as a precaution. The Palm Beach
County Bomb Squad and fire rescue set up a staging area in a nearby Publix shopping
center. The investigation started when a box with wires sticking out of it was found at
the bank. The package was later destroyed and those evacuated were allowed to return.
A second suspicious package turned up in the after afternoon around 4 p.m. West Palm
Beach Police had received a bomb threat at a Chase bank on March 31 but no location
was given.
Source: http://www.wptv.com/content/news/centralpbc/story/Suspicious-packagefound-at-bank/HDYC8Jl-JUKmBNt3y4VOeA.cspx
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Transportation Sector
20. April 2, CNN – (International) U.S. to implement new airport security measures. All
flights entering the United States will be subjected to a new level of security screening,
officials will announce Friday. The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary will unveil the
new system, which will use “real-time, threat-based intelligence,” a senior
administration official said. The new security measures will supersede those put in
place immediately after the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day, the official said.
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“These new, enhanced measures are part of a dynamic, threat-based aviation security
system covering all passengers traveling by air to the United States,” the official said.
“To more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats, these measures utilize multiple,
random layers of security, both seen and unseen and are tailored to intelligence about
potential threats.” These measures are a result of a review the U.S. President ordered
after December’s failed attack when a Nigerian allegedly tried to blow up Northwest
Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan. The new
level of screening will augment the no-fly and selectee lists. Those lists require a full
name, a date of birth and other information. This new system will use “fragmentary
information” that might include travel itinerary, age, partial passport information and a
partial name, the official said. The new security regime requires cooperation from the
airlines and some foreign governments, but the official does not anticipate compliance
problems. “It is in their interest to ensure the safety of their flights,” the official said.
The United States will do inspections, and there will be penalties for not complying.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/04/02/airline.security/index.html?hpt=T2
21. April 2, Dallas Morning News – (National) Agency backs findings of DOT probe
into complaint about American Airlines. A whistle-blower’s accusations that the
Federal Aviation Administration helped American Airlines Inc. avoid grounding
aircraft were partially confirmed by government investigation, a federal watchdog
reported Thursday. The whistle-blower had said FAA officials in the agency’s Fort
Worth office essentially let American off the hook in 2008 when its MD-80 aircraft
were probably out of compliance because of improper wiring. An investigation by the
Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General found that the FAA, when
alerted that American’s planes were not in compliance, “took the unusual step of
directing a second outside opinion be obtained” to determine conclusively if
American’s planes failed to meet the airworthiness directive. Getting that second
opinion took two days, which allowed Fort Worth-based American to make changes
that ultimately kept its planes in compliance with the rule and in the air. The regional
FAA office also curiously ordered inspections of American’s maintenance facilities in
Tulsa, Oklahoma, to stop and crews to leave the hangars. “While regional management
provided justification and OIG did not find these actions improper, per se, they
nonetheless fostered a perception with [the whistle-blower] and other inspectors of
inappropriately helping [American] avoid service disruption,” the inspector general’s
August 13, 2009, report on the incident reads. The managers in charge of the Southwest
FAA office were replaced, and the FAA continues enforcement proceedings against
American for a variety of maintenance issues.
Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DNwhistleblower_02bus.ART.State.Edition1.3dca0e1.html
22. April 1, KSAX 42 Alexandria – (Minnesota) Hwy. 10 bridge north of Little Falls to
be replaced. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) plans to rebuild
the Highway 10 bridge over the Mississippi River in Little Falls this construction
season after an ice jam damaged the bridge a couple weeks ago. Mn/DOT closed the
bridge March 17, 2010 after an ice jam caused extensive damage and flood waters
overflowed the bridge. The bridge has since been reopened, but bridge repairs would
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cost around $1.5 million. Rebuilding the bridge completely will cost about the same as
repairs. Crews are already working on the bridge and plan to finish the entire project by
the end of this construction season. The new bridge will have a bigger opening
underneath to prevent ice jam and flooding damages from happening in the future. Two
of the four lanes on the bridge are still open to traffic. Those lanes will remain open
during the entire construction season. The completion date for rebuilding the bridge has
not been set. The new bridge will last about 60 years.
Source: http://ksax.com/article/stories/S1494094.shtml?cat=10230
For another story, see item 5
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Postal and Shipping Sector
Nothing to report
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Agriculture and Food Sector
23. April 2, WTVD 11 Raleigh – (North Carolina) Chicken plant nearly destroyed in
fire. The House of Raeford chicken processing plant, which is located about 40 miles
south of Fayetteville, North Carolina, caught fire just after 11 p.m. Thursday.
According to the company’s website, the plant is one of four in the state and the
Maxton facility is the Mechanically Separated Chicken (MSC) Division. Firefighters
were busy overnight trying to extinguish the fire. One-hundred firefighters from 12
departments were called to the scene. A hazmat crew also was dispatched because of
the threat of an ammonia leak, which turned out not to be a problem. Investigators say a
warehouse on the property is completely gutted and crews continued putting out hot
spots Friday morning. No live chickens are kept at the plant, only chicken parts that are
used for making poultry products like chicken patties and chicken hot dogs. About 15
workers were there when the fire began, but they all got out of the building safely.
Officials say the fire is a huge loss for House of Raeford, one of the nation’s largest
chicken processing companies and its employees. Investigators are trying to determine
what caused the fire.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7363840
24. April 1, U.S Food and Drug Administration – (Texas) Federal government seeks
permanent injunction against Texas egg roll manufacturer. The U. S. Department
of Justice, in an action initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is seeking a
permanent injunction against Chung’s Products LP (“Chung’s”), an egg roll
manufacturer in Houston, the company’s president, and the firm’s director of quality
assurance. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Texas, charges the defendants with violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(the “Act”) by preparing, packing and holding shrimp egg rolls under insanitary
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conditions, whereby they may have become contaminated with filth and rendered
injurious to health. The complaint concerns Chung’s fish and fishery products. It does
not include Chung’s other food products. “The agency has previously warned the
company that corrective actions need to be taken in this facility,” the FDA’s acting
associate commissioner for regulatory affairs said. The shrimp egg rolls produced by
Chung’s are sold in grocery stores and large retail stores nationwide.
Source:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm207068.htm
25. April 1, Food and Drug Administration – (National) Barbecue potato chips recalled
due to possible Salmonella contamination. Lance, Inc. with headquarters in
Charlotte, North Carolina is recalling 28,087 cases of Tom’s Barbecue Potato Chips
packaged in 1 oz (UPC 021900060406), 2.25 oz (UPC 021900011477) and 8.5 oz
(UPC 021900062417) sizes because it has the potential to be contaminated with
Salmonella. The product was distributed in 34 states. The product is sold in retail stores
and was distributed by direct store delivery by Lance route trucks and by Lance
distributors. The product comes in 1 oz, 2.25 oz and 8.5 oz flexible packages. Code
dates on the recalled product carry the following expiration dates: May 14 2010, May
21 2010, May 28 2010, Jun 4 2010, Jun 11, 2010, Jun 18 2010, Jun 25 2010, Jul 2
2010, Jul 9 2010, and Jul 16 2010.
Source: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/13885/potato-chip-recall-alltom-bbq.html
For another story, see item 6
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Water Sector
26. April 2, Associated Press – (Colorado) Health officials: No asbestos found at water
plant. Colorado health officials say they found no evidence that asbestos was
improperly buried at a water treatment facility in Douglas County where former Denver
Water workers alleged they were told to bury hazardous waste. The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment said Thursday there are preparing a
report of their findings. Health officials say they examined the Denver Water property
for evidence of asbestos and found only a cement-asbestos pipe stored in a storage area.
Health officials say that pipe does not pose a health risk. A dozen retired Denver Water
workers claim a manager told them to bury cement asbestos and other toxic materials at
the Foothills Water Treatment Plant 20 years ago. The workers allege they now have
illnesses that may be connected to asbestos exposure.
Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/ap/health-officials-no-asbestos-found-atwater-plant-89760017.html
27. April 2, KDLH 3 Duluth – (Minnesota) Vandals cause sewage overflow in
Duluth. Logs, boulders and other debris were thrown into the sewer line, resulting in
an obstruction and subsequent estimated overflow of about 21.500 gallons into Miller
- 11 -
Creek. An LSC student discovered the overflow Wednesday afternoon and reported it
to authorities. “It appears that the vandals pried off at least one manhole cover in the
wooded area along Miller Creek and threw in whatever they could find in the vicinity,”
said The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District’s (WLSSD) manager of Planning and
Technical Services. “Our crews found a substantial amount of logs, boulders and other
debris in the line. To prevent this from happening in the future, all manhole covers in
this area will be replaced with a type that makes their removal more difficult and will
deter future tampering. Additionally, we’ll be taking other measures to secure the
covers in place.” WLSSD experienced a similar event in 2007 and replaced about 20
covers in the area at that time. WLSSD staff and contractors cleared the obstruction and
restored flow by 9:45 last night. WLSSD staff is cleaning up the overflow area and no
long-term environmental effects are anticipated. “Removing manhole covers creates
environmental and public health hazards and also creates unsafe conditions. Manhole
covers are heavy and can pose a danger if dropped. Open manholes also create fall
hazards. We are fortunate that no one got hurt,” said the manager. Clearing this
obstruction will cost us more than $5,000.” If the parties responsible for this vandalism
are identified, WLSSD will pursue all appropriate legal remedies to the fullest extent of
the law.
Source: http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/89695692.html
28. March 31, Charlottesville Daily Progress – (Virginia) Harmful pesticide found in
city creeks. Abnormally high levels of a pesticide that was banned more than two
decades ago because of its potential to harm plants, animals and people have been
found in two Charlottesville, Virgina, creeks. After the Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) completed biological water sampling, state workers
found high concentrations of chlordane, the pesticide, in the sediment of Meadow
Creek and Schenk’s Branch. The two samples showed levels of chlordane that were 40
and 1,000 times higher, respectively, than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
probable effects concentration benchmark — the concentration at which a chemical is
likely to be harmful to plants or animals after direct exposure. The city has long known
about the contamination, but no public announcement has been made and warnings
have not been posted.
Source:
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/harmful_pesticide_found_in_cit
y_creeks/54328/
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
29. April 2, MedPage Today – (National) Hackers could target medical
devices. Although no such attacks have yet been reported, medical devices could be
susceptible to hackers, and a thorough security analysis should be done as part of FDA
approval, researchers argue. Premarket regulatory evaluation should include a riskbased security assessment depending on the nature of the device and the perceived
threat of a security compromise, said a member of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
- 12 -
Center, in Boston, and a member of the University of Washington in Seattle. They
made their argument in a “Perspective” article in the April 1 issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine. “We think medical device security should be improved before
there is a widespread incident, rather than waiting for the incident to occur and then
acting,” one member said in an e-mail to MedPage Today. “It is very difficult to add on
security after the fact.” The authors said that in terms of security risks, medical devices
are like “the drug supply of a generation ago.” The contributors said computer security
specialists “see weaknesses in the current technology of many medical devices.”
Potential vulnerabilities include unauthorized device reprogramming and data
extraction. Or hackers could flood a device with information so that normal
communication fails to reach it. There are also tactics to prematurely drain a device’s
battery and eventually reduce its lifespan by repeatedly awakening it from a sleep state.
Source: http://www.medpagetoday.com/ProductAlert/DevicesandVaccines/19350
30. April 1, FierceEMR – (National) Report: Medical data theft growing as more adopt
EMRs. Data theft and other fraudulent activities related to exposure of electronic
medical record (EMR) data more than doubled last year, to 7 percent in 2009,
compared to 3 percent in 2008, market research firm Javelin Strategy & Research
reports. And EMRs can be so rich in sensitive data like Social Security numbers,
insurance ID numbers, medical history and even payment information that they are
tremendously valuable to criminals. Criminals tend to use information stolen from
medical records for an average of 320 days, vs. just 81 days for pilfered data from other
sources, the firm reports. It takes twice as long to detect medical data fraud than with
other forms of identity theft, and costs $12,100 to do so, also more than twice the
general average. “There’s more Identity fraud of any kind being generated from
exposure to health records which [have] particularly sensitive information,” the
president of Javelin Strategy & Research says, according to InformationWeek. And he
believes fraud will increase as EMRs proliferate. “We think medical providers aren’t up
to the task. They won’t have security best practices in place to match the incidents of
fraud, and we think theft of personal health information is going to get worse,” he adds.
Source: http://www.fierceemr.com/story/report-medical-data-theft-growing-moreadopt-emrs/2010-04-01
31. March 31, National Institute of Standards and Technology – (National) Health
Information Security Conference to run May 11-12 in D.C. The National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) is co-hosting a conference to explore the current
health information technology security landscape and the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. The conference on “Safeguarding
Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security,” presented in
collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for
Civil Rights, will be held on May 11 and 12, 2010, in Washington, D.C. This
conference will provide a forum to discuss the present state of health information
security, and practical strategies, tips and techniques for implementing the security
requirements of HIPAA. Industry panels will discuss breach notification rules and the
state of compliance with the Security Rule. The meeting is expecting to draw hundreds
of HIPAA security rule implementers; security, privacy and compliance officers;
- 13 -
assessment teams and audit staff.
Source: http://www.newswise.com/articles/health-information-security-conference-torun-may-11-12-in-d-c
For another story, see item 11
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
32. April 2, Navy Times – (National) Base drills test security capabilities. A gunman in a
building. Bombs found at the base front gate. Snipers on a roof. Suspicious people on
their pier. What would be typical explosive scenes in the TV action thriller “24” were
real training scenarios at military bases across the country during the week of March
22. Fleet Forces Command launched its annual “Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield” exercise
at nearly every stateside military installation, as well as on Hawaii and Guam. The fiveday anti-terrorism and force protection exercise, which officials announced through
press releases, included short-notice and often unannounced scenarios meant to test and
exercise naval security forces. At every installation and command, local commanders
had to react quickly to evolving situations. Security levels at times were elevated and
more thorough vehicle searches ordered at base gates. “Things were happening
simultaneously, there was so much going on,” said a Navy Region Southwest
spokesman in San Diego.
Source: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/04/navy_security_drills_040210w/
33. April 1, Nextgov – (National) The military services are working out security policies
for thumb drive use. The Air Force does not expect to have a policy governing the use
of flash media such as thumb drives in place until October and will allow their use only
under carefully controlled circumstances, the service’s team leader responsible for flash
media said. The Army and Navy could not provide a date when their flash media
policies would go into effect, but spokesmen for both services emphasized they are
taking a slow and deliberate approach, evaluating technical as well as financial issues.
The Strategic Command, which has responsibility for cybersecurity throughout the
Defense Department banned the use of flash media on military computers and networks
in November 2008 because adversaries had found ways to use gadgets such as thumb
drives to infect Defense networks with software containing malicious bugs. In
February, STRATCOM revised its policy to allow flash media as a “last resort for
operational requirements.” The revised policy required the services to develop their
own guidelines.
Source: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100401_1208.php
34. April 1, Firce Government IT – (National) GAO concerned over UAS
infrastructure. Satellite control of unmanned aircraft systems is potentially open to
disruption thanks to lack of a backup relay site, according to the Government
Accountability Office. The number of unmanned aircraft in use by the Defense
Department had skyrocketed over the past decade, from fewer than 50 in 2000 to more
- 14 -
than 6,800 in October 2009. However, the inventory might be outpacing DoD’s ability
to comprehensively support it with a robust communications infrastructure, as well as
personnel training and facilities, the GAO finds. Air Force officials told GAO auditors
they’re taking steps to establish a redundant satellite relay site to support UAS missions
in the event of disruptions at the current location. The GAO is concerned, however, that
the effort is not scheduled for completion until 2012 and that the Air Force lacks a
formal backup plan for continuity of operations should the current satellite relay site be
disrupted.
Source: http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/gao-concerned-over-uasinfrastructure/2010-04-01
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
35. April 2, KMTV 3 Omaha – (Nebraska) Officials try to determine what caused 911
outage. Now that phone and 911 service has been restored across southeast Nebraska,
officials are trying to determine exactly what caused the outage and how similar
outages might be prevented. A Windstream Communications spokesman says the
outage that began around 7:45 a.m. ended when service was restored shortly before
midnight on April 1. About 36,000 customers were affected, including 911 outages in
David City, Fairbury, Hebron, Lincoln, Pawnee City, Plattsmouth, Seward, Superior,
Wahoo, and the surrounding areas. He said on April 2 that engineers are looking at
whether it is possible to add another backup system to Windstream’s switching center.
In the outage, a router and its backup failed in Lincoln.
Source: http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=12247546
36. April 1, Federal Computer Week – (National) First responders connect via DHS
online network. Local, state, and federal first responders can join a new online
professional network from the Homeland Security Department’s Science and
Technology Directorate (S&T) to connect and share advice on how to best prepare for
and respond to all hazards. Through the online network named “First Responder
Communities of Practice,” fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and
emergency management personnel can sign up for the network, log in, and search for
other professionals, connect, and share best practices. The network kicked off February
1 and has cost DHS about $1.2 million. The director of first responder technologies for
the S&T, said the program was developed by talking directly with first responders who
said they wanted a way to access relevant resources and to connect with colleagues. So
far, the network has 179 users, he said. He added that in five years, DHS hopes the
network will have 500,000 people, or about one-fifth of the roughly 2.5 million first
responders in the United States. He said the network features user profiles, professional
tags, RSS feeds, wikis, and blogs.
Source: http://fcw.com/articles/2010/04/01/web-dhs-first-responder-socialnetwork.aspx
- 15 -
37. March 31, Arizona Daily Star – (Arizona) Facility to gather, share border info. A
new facility designed to ease information-sharing between border law enforcement
agencies in Arizona has been unveiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The
$16 million Intelligence and Operations Coordination Center will operate as a
communications hub, the director of the center said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony
Tuesday. The facility is at the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector headquarters. It will
streamline the process of receiving intelligence in real time, then analyze and
disseminate it throughout the agency, she said. The dedication came days after the
shooting death of a Cochise County rancher who was killed on his property, possibly
by a smuggler who may have escaped into Mexico. A U.S. Representative and the
governor of Arizona — both of whom spoke at the ceremony — have called for the
National Guard to return to the border in response to incidents of violence. But that is
not the only solution to securing the area, said the acting deputy commissioner of
Customs and Border Protection. He also is a former Border Patrol sector chief here.
“There is a need for enforcement capability,” he said. “Anything that we can do that
can bring security to our nations’ borders is critically important, not just the National
Guard, not just boots on the ground, but the collective effort of what we are doing.”
The facility also has the capability of serving as a central command center during a
natural disaster, a CBP press release said. Also Tuesday, the Department of Homeland
Security transferred an array of equipment to Mexico’s Secretariat of Public Safety to
beef up law enforcement there. The equipment includes 10 all-terrain vehicles, four offroad motorcycles, 50 Global Positioning Systems, 30 rechargeable flashlights, 20
mountain bikes and other assorted equipment.
Source: http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_205a25d6-9d2b-52cc925a-6d0949d8177c.html
38. March 31, Associated Press – (National) Audit: Costly FBI computer upgrade drags
further. A Justice Department audit has found the FBI’s long-delayed computer
upgrade is getting slower and costing more. The FBI’s Sentinel program was launched
to build a paperless case management system, costing $425 million. It was supposed to
be completed by last December. The system has faced numerous delays and extra costs
since. An audit released Wednesday by the Justice Department inspector general said
the bureau will not even guess at when it will be done or how much it will cost, though
they say it will be more than $451 million. The FBI has struggled for years to
modernize its computer systems. The Bureau director recently told Congress he
personally works on the Sentinel project every week, but that has not gotten it back on
schedule. The FBI said in a statement that the issues with Sentinel have not hampered
investigations, and said the bureau is in talks with the contractor about how to fix the
problems.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2JvGIhU3PYL6w7ETlOz7K1TNbAD9EPNCU00
[Return to top]
Information Technology Sector
- 16 -
39. April 2, Help Net Security – (International) Botnets drive the rise of
ransomware. Ransomware is the dominating threat with nine of the detections in the
malware top ten list resulting in either scareware or ransomware infesting the victim’s
PC. Fortinet observed the primary drivers behind these threats to be two of the most
notorious botnet “loaders” - Bredolab and Pushdo. Another important finding is the
aggressive entrance of a new zero-day threat in FortiGuard’s top ten attack list,
MS.IE.Userdata.Behavior.Code.Execution, which accounted for 25 percent of the
detected activity last month. Key threat activities for the month of March include:
SMS-based ransomware high activity, botnets, and zero day attacks. A new
ransomware threat, DigiPog, is an SMS blocker using Russian language, locking out a
system and aggressively killing off popular applications like Internet Explorer and
FireFox until an appropriate code is entered into a field provided to the user. Sasfis,
another botnet loader, moved up eight positions in our Top 100 attack list from last
month, landing just behind Gumblar and Conficker network activity in the fifth
position. Sasfis is just the latest example of simplified botnets, which are used heavily
for malicious business services (crime as a service). A new zero-day threat aggressively
entered FortiGuard’s top ten attack list: MS.IE.Userdata.Behavior.Code.Execution this exploit triggers a vulnerability in Internet Explorer, making remote code execution
through a drive-by download (no user interaction required) possible.
Source: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9095
40. April 1, IDG News Service – (National) DHS studying global response to Conficker
botnet. One year after the Conficker botnet was front-page news around the world, the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security is preparing a report looking at the worldwide
effort to keep it in check. The report, to be published within the month of April, shows
how an ad hoc group of security researchers and Internet infrastructure providers
banded together into an organization they called the Conficker Working Group. Its goal
was to address what was at the time the world’s most serious cyberthreat. “We said,
‘This was a very good example of the private sector, globally, working together to try
to solve a cybersecurity attack, so let’s fund the creation of a lessons-learned report to
just document what worked, what didn’t work,’“ said a program manager with the
Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate. The report
could provide a template for future cyber-responses, security experts say.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174628/DHS_studying_global_response_to_
Conficker_botnet
41. April 1, eWeek – (International) Adobe discusses PDF attack as Foxit adds
warning. Foxit Software says it plans to add a warning to protect users from a new
attack vector involving PDF files that can affect users without exploiting a software
vulnerability. Adobe, which already has a warning built in, says the issue is being
discussed. Foxit Software plans to follow Adobe Systems’ lead and add a dialog box
giving users a heads-up about a new attack tactic involving malicious PDF files. The
security issue was uncovered by an IT security consultant with Contraste Europe, who
discovered a way to get PDF viewers such as Adobe Reader and Foxit Reader to
execute embedded executables using a launch action triggered when the PDF file is
- 17 -
opened. In Adobe Reader, the situation is mitigated by a warning that pops up and
forces the user to click open before the executable is run. However, Foxit currently
allows the embedded executable to run without either a warning or user interaction.
Source: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Adobe-Discusses-PDF-Attack-as-FoxitAdds-Warning-809457/
42. April 1, Network World – (International) Protecting network endpoints is getting
complicated. Users say protecting network endpoints is becoming more difficult as the
type of endpoint devices — desktops, laptops, smartphones — grows, making security
a complex moving target. The problem is compounded by the range of what groups
within corporations do on these devices, which translates into different levels of
protection for classes of users on myriad devices. Deciding the appropriate device
defense becomes the No. 1 job of endpoint security specialists, says the CISO of
Carolina Advanced Digital consultancy. Depending on the device and the user’s role,
endpoints need to be locked down to a greater or lesser degree.
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174658/Protecting_network_endpoints_is_g
etting_complicated
43. April 1, Associated Press – (International) Google: Online attacks aimed at
Vietnam’s critics. Google Inc. accused Vietnam on March 31 of stifling political
dissent with cyberattacks, the latest complaint by the Internet giant against a communist
regime following a public dispute with China over online censorship. Like China,
Vietnam tightly controls the flow of information and has said it reserves the right to
take “appropriate action” against Web sites it deems harmful to national security. The
cyberattacks targeted “potentially tens of thousands,” a posting on Google’s online
security blog said. It said it was drawing attention to the Vietnam attacks because they
underscored the need for the international community “to take cybersecurity seriously
to help keep free opinion flowing.” Google apparently stumbled onto a scheme
targeting Vietnamese-speaking Internet users around the world while investigating the
surveillance of e-mail accounts belonging to Chinese human rights activists, one
analyst suggested.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1vNSB49BH1B36TwJzyUoD
68wKvgD9EQ1CJ80
44. April 1, Infosecurity – (International) eBay comes under attack, says Red Condor. In
an advisory published on April 1, Red Condor said that a phishing mail sent by
scammers reporting an eBay security alert differs from conventional phishing emails.
This one tells victims that they must download a Security Shield program, which is in
fact a Trojan that harvests their passwords and presumably carries out other malicious
activities on their machines. Traditionally, phishing email relies on victims entering
information about their accounts on spoof websites designed to look like the targeted
company’s genuine site. However, this mail directs victims to a web page containing a
Download Now button to download software that directly compromises their machine.
This constitutes a blended threat, according to Red Condor. It is similar in concept to a
- 18 -
recent attack carried out on Facebook users, that asked them to download a piece of
software that would help them to reset their password. However, this phishing attack
differs in that it uses a compromised server within eBay’s domain to host the software
download button, Red Condor said.
Source: http://www.infosecurity-us.com/view/8502/ebay-comes-under-attack-says-redcondor/
45. March 30, Assocaited Press – (National) US govt effort against ID theft said to fall
short. An internal review has found that the Justice Department has not done enough to
fight identity theft, the fastest-growing crime in the country. The Justice Department
inspector general says in a report that the department is falling short in efforts to
combat identity theft, and that the issue has faded as a priority over the past two years.
Federal authorities reported last year that identity theft affects an estimated 10 million
Americans annually. A Justice Department spokeswoman says the agency agrees with
the inspector general’s recommendations to improve coordination among law
enforcement offices, and is implementing them.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/03/30/general-us-identitytheft_7476574.html?boxes=financechannelAP
For more stories, see items 29, 33, 36, and 38
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at sos@us-cert.gov or
visit their Web site: http://www.us-cert.gov
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and
Analysis Center) Web site: https://www.it-isac.org
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
See item 35
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
46. April 1, Bucks Local News – (Pennsylvania) Police believe teens responsible for
series of explosions in Newtown. Police believe a group of teens are responsible for
three explosions which occurred at two Newtown Borough businesses and at a
Newtown Township fast-food restaurant Tuesday afternoon. The first was reported at
3:15 p.m. at the CVS Pharmacy at on South Lincoln Avenue where police said a device
was detonated inside the store. Police said a customer was taken by ambulance to St.
Mary Medical Center and one employee transported himself to the medical center
where he was treated for nose and throat irritation. Employees evacuated all customers
- 19 -
from the store. Inside, Newtown Borough police found remnants of what they
described as an “improvised explosive device” in one of the aisles and obtained images
and video from the store’s security system. Police said a person of interest was
observed on the video. At about the same time as the CVS incident, police said
something exploded in a trash can located inside the front door of a Starbucks Coffee at
on South State Street. There were several patrons inside the store at the time of the
explosion. The assistant manager told police that several young men had entered the
store before the explosion. They did not purchase anything and left just after the
explosion, exiting out of the back door, police said. The manager told police she could
identify the three males. Police in neighboring Newtown Township reported a similiar
incident, also on Tuesday, at the Wendy’s Restaurant off of Swamp Road. According to
police, a bottle bomb went off at the rear of the building. Police are investigating the
incidents and are expected to file charges.
Source:
http://www.buckslocalnews.com/articles/2010/04/01/the_advance/news/doc4bb39b70a
4ac3227677407.txt
[Return to top]
National Monuments and Icons Sector
Nothing to report
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
47. April 2, WMTW 8 Portland – (Maine) Breached dam repaired In Porter. A dam in
the town of Portland, Maine, that was breached earlier this week is now repaired.
Official told News 8 the Colcord Pond Dam is fixed and that one lane of the nearby
road is now open. Earlier this week the heavy rain caused a section of the dam to give
way, sending torents of water rushing into nearby roads.
Source: http://www.wmtw.com/weather/23033269/detail.html
48. April 2, New London Day – (National) Aging dams overtopped, but most holding as
R.I., Connecticut hasten inspections. Fears Thursday morning that a dam in the Alton
section of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, would collapse and threaten homes downstream on
the Pawcatuck River, including those in the village of Pawcatuck, subsided after an
engineering inspection, but concerns about the condition of dozens of dams in both
states stressed by Tuesday’s record floods will remain long after the waters recede. The
Alton Dam, on the Wood River just north of where it empties into the Pawcatuck River,
threatened to collapse after swift-moving waters submerged the dam and the roadway
that runs across it late Wednesday, leaving a large crevice in the Route 91 bridge
spanning the river. The road was closed to vehicles, with National Guard troops posted
at either side of the bridge and dam. Local officials in Hopkinton and Westerly issued
evacuation orders Thursday morning for homes in the Alton-Wood River Junction and
- 20 -
Bradford sections of the two towns. The orders were canceled a short time later after a
Department of Transportation engineer said the 1930 structure would hold and the river
had begun to subside. But it may take weeks for swollen rivers to return to normal
levels, and the National Weather Service kept the region on flood watch through
Tuesday as waters continue to pour into smaller streams and waterways. It also warned
that the floods had put significant pressure on aging dams, many of which have not had
substantial repairs or upgrades in decades. Just a few miles from the Alton site, the dam
over the Pawcatuck River in the Bradford section of Westerly also overtopped its
embankment Wednesday and sent the river gushing over Route 216 near the Bradford
Dyeing Association plant, which was also flooded. One of the breaches, when the dam
structure essentially breaks, was on Blue Pond in Hopkinton. The others were in Exeter
and South Kingstown.
Source: http://www.theday.com/article/20100402/NWS01/304029906
49. April 1, Berkshire Easgle – (Massachusetts) Dam deteriorating. A deteriorating
Wahconah Street dam in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is not likely to be repaired any time
soon, even though the owner has been repeatedly notified of his responsibility,
according to state officials. The owner of the Bel Air Dam, J. has not responded to
notifications about the dam’s deteriorating condition, according to the commissioner of
the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). “[The owner] has
continued to ignore DCR’s enforcement actions,” he said. “So we have handed the case
over to the attorney general’s office.” The owner, of Holmes Road, said he has been in
contact with the state, but acknowledged that he did not have the capital to invest in the
necessary repairs. In all, six cases were transferred to the office of the Attorney General
for enforcement — the first time the state has taken such action to assure the integrity
of dam structures, the commissioner said. The dam, which is located in the west branch
of the Housatonic River, was leaking water from nearly a dozen holes in the stone
structure Wednesday after two days of steady rain. The pedestrian bridge over the top
of the dam has been closed and condemned. The state has developed an emergency
evacuation plan for a number of downstream structures that would be at risk if the dam
fails, including a Goodwill Industries store and a number of structures along Wahconah
Street, Linden Street, Columbus Avenue and West Street.
Source: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_14797354?source=most_emailed
50. April 1, Sun Sentinel – (Florida) Lake Okeechobee water levels rising, raising flood
control concerns. Lake Okeechobee’s yo-yoing water level is on the rise again,
renewing safety concerns about the aging dike relied on to guard against flooding. That
has the Army Corps of Engineers dumping lake water out to sea, wasting water relied
on to back up South Florida supplies in order to ease the strain on the 70-year-old dike.
The Herbert Hoover Dike is considered one of the country’s six most at-risk of failing,
and is in the midst of a decades-long rehab project to strengthen the earthen structure.
To lessen the dike’s load, the corps has dumped 22 billion gallons out to sea since
January 1. Dry spring weather usually lowers the lake, allowing room for the water
expected during the stormy summer months to come. But this year, a rainy spring
washed away South Florida’s usual “dry season” and instead of receding, the lake rose
about a foot during the past 30 days. On Thursday, the lake measured 14.63 feet above
- 21 -
sea level, about 2.5 feet higher than this time last year and more than 4 feet higher than
in 2008. The corps tries to keep the lake between 12.5 and 15.5 feet.
Source: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-04-01/news/fl-lake-okeechobee-dikeconcerns-20100401_1_lake-okeechobee-basin-manager-herbert-hoover-dike
51. March 31, WJRT 12 Flint – (New Jersey) NJ residents rescued after levee
break. Some residents of a New Jersey community had to be rescued by boat after a
levee broke Wednesday morning. About 6:30 a.m. Wednesday residents along route 47
in Port Elizabeth, Cumberland County noticed the water coming up fast. Brown, muddy
water washed over local roads, a paddock, and surrounded an estimated ten houses. The
water came from one of two large sand dredge pits located uphill at a nearby gravel
company. It is thought the recent heavy rains may have played a role in causing a 250
foot breech of the earthen levee that contains the pond. While most residents were able
to walk out of their home, firefighters used a boat to pick up an 81-year-old woman. At
the source of the floodwater, construction equipment moved tons of earth and sand to
repair the levee. By mid-afternoon the water flow was stopped. Downhill large capacity
pumps were brought in to try to lower the water that surrounded the flooded homes.
With the breech now contained, the pumping out and clean up continues.
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7360343&rss=rsswpvi-article-7360343
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DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
About the reports - The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a daily [Monday through Friday]
summary of open-source published information concerning significant critical infrastructure issues. The DHS Daily
Open Source Infrastructure Report is archived for ten days on the Department of Homeland Security Web site:
http://www.dhs.gov/iaipdailyreport
Contact Information
Content and Suggestions:
Send mail to NICCReports@dhs.gov or contact the DHS Daily
Report Team at (202) 312-3421
Subscribe to the Distribution List:
Visit the DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report and follow
instructions to Get e-mail updates when this information changes.
Removal from Distribution List:
Send mail to support@govdelivery.com.
Contact DHS
To report physical infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact the National Infrastructure
Coordinating Center at nicc@dhs.gov or (202) 282-9201.
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US-CERT at soc@us-cert.gov or visit
their Web page at www.us-cert.gov.
Department of Homeland Security Disclaimer
The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a non-commercial publication intended to educate and inform
personnel engaged in infrastructure protection. Further reproduction or redistribution is subject to original copyright
restrictions. DHS provides no warranty of ownership of the copyright, or accuracy with respect to the original source
material.
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